Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to protective helmets, and more particularly to a protective helmet that includes an integral components for streaming music to the user wearing the helmet.
Description of Related Art
The prior art teaches a variety of protective helmets that include various forms of electronics incorporated into the helmet for various purposes.
Reed, U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,700, for example, teaches a protective football helmet that includes a two-way radio system with speakers and microphones for enabling the player to talk with others (e.g., coaching staff, etc.).
Similar communications systems are also shown in Gray, U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,205, which teaches a protective firefighting helmet that includes a similar two-way communication system. The prior art teaches a wide range of similar helmets with similar communication systems.
The prior art also teaches various helmets that may be plugged into various forms of music playing systems. Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,970,691, for example, teaches a bicycle helmet that includes speakers operably positioned on the sides of the helmet for playing music adjacent the ears of the user. The speakers are connected with wires to a port located at the back of the helmet, so that a music player can be connected with the speakers for playing music.
The prior art does not teach a protective helmet that includes a controller, a battery, and speakers operably mounted in the helmet for receiving and playing streaming music from a completely separate portable electronic device. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further advantages as described in the following summary.